Beaches in Haifa were closed on Friday after sightings of a rare whale shark, though the beaches are anticipated to reopen on Saturday morning from 8 a.m., Maariv reported.
At adulthood, the species can reach 12–14 metres and weigh more than 20 tons, making it the largest fish on Earth. It feeds on plankton, small fish, and tiny crustaceans, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists it as Endangered.
Until 2021, no whale shark had been verified in the Mediterranean. One was filmed near Turkey that year, and another was caught in a tuna net off Ceuta, North Africa, in December 2022.
Ofek the whale shark
The sighting of a whale shark comes only weeks after another member of the rare species, named 'Ofek,' was butchered in the Gaza Strip.
“Ofek,” named by the conservation organization, was filmed with crowds of Palestinians crowding around it in the area of Khan Yunis, being dragged along the shore by ropes. In Gaza, it was reported that the “largest fish in the world” is about ten meters long.
Ofek had been the first whale shark discovered on Israel’s Mediterranean coast. He was spotted by swimmers in Ashdod and Netanya.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.